WORLD RAILWAY PERFORMANCE SURVEY

Statistics based on data from the World Bank are used to make comparisons of railways throughout the world with regard to traffic growth, performance measures, freight, passengers, locomotives, labor, and cost implications. The World Bank data base was chosen because it is a single organization with access to a large variety of railways. It was also noted that comparative statistics for railways not members of the International Union of Railways (UIC) or the Association of American Railroads present difficulties when trying to make international comparisons. While it is also noted that there are no universal solutions because the railway systems are so varied, operating in different types of terrains, etc., (what works in Japan may not be feasible for Africa) comparable railway comparisons can be very useful to aid the decision making and planning processes.